With the new “Karst Finch,” Camper and Issey Miyake extend an ongoing exploration of shoes as ever more essential and enveloping objects.
Fluid yet firmly grounded, Karst Finch didn’t go unnoticed by keen observers during last October’s Paris Fashion Week. First unveiled on the runway of Issey Miyake’s Spring Summer 2026 collection, Being Garment, Being Sentient, this second chapter in the Camper–Issey Miyake partnership will be available from April 15, 2026, in selected stores and online.
Developed together with creative director Satoshi Kondo, the shoe fits into a coherent trajectory that continues to evolve around the idea of footwear that is lighter and increasingly responsive to movement.
The stretch-knit upper provides a soft hold that echoes the shape of a Mary Jane, but translates it into a flexible system—one that adapts without locking into a fixed geometry. The concept of the shoe shifts here from form to behavior: it is never static, but defined through use, bringing the act of putting on shoes closer to that of simply getting dressed.
The idea of footwear shifts toward a logic of behavior rather than form: it is never fixed, but is defined in use, bringing the gesture of stocking closer to that of wearing.
It’s no coincidence that in the campaign images and video, the shoe and sock are shown hanging out to dry like laundry, as if they were a single piece. Each pair comes with coordinated or contrasting socks, encouraging an open-ended use and an equally fluid perception.
If Issey Miyake’s approach continues to question the space between body and garment, the collaboration finds its counterpoint in Camper’s technical heritage, where the sole remains central to the design. Here, it reprises the Karst line’s pattern—directly inspired by karst landscapes—combined with a ReXarge® supercritical foam midsole and a Vibram outsole, which absorb and return each step without stiffening it. The promised lightness isn’t just visual; it lies in weight distribution and ground response.
The visual language, meanwhile, opens up to a more narrative dimension: the name Finch references the plumage of finches, and the color palette—four variations across black, pink, yellow, green, blue, sand, and gray—plays with combinations that remain fluid, never fully fixed.
Founded in 1975 in Mallorca, Camper has built its identity on a constant tension between function and experimentation, visible not only in its products but also in its spaces—from stores designed by studios such as Kengo Kuma and Nendo to hybrid experiences like Casa Camper Berlin. In this sense, the collaboration with Issey Miyake feels less like an exception and more like a natural extension of a method that operates across different scales.
A subtler signal also emerges in the branding: for the second time, the Japanese maison’s name overlays Camper’s arched logo, temporarily shifting the center of recognition. A small but meaningful gesture in redefining the balance between the two brands.
Following their first joint experiment with “Peu Form,” and in continuity with what was also seen on the runway of the latest Fall Winter 2026/27 show with the “Anna” model, Karst Finch stands as a new hybrid phase in a path guided by essentiality.